Due date: Friday 8 August, via e-mail before lecture
For this theme, you have a choice among the following essay topics:
Write a question in the style of Thomas Aquinas (with objections, your response, and the replies to the objections) on the topic of whether it is ever just to go to war. If you disagree with Aquinas, the objections to your response should come from Aquinas’ arguments; if you agree with Aquinas, the objections should come from Erasmus's arguments. Your own response need not draw on either Aquinas or Erasmus, though it can make reference to their arguments. For a fuller description of this essay topic, see here.
Is it possible to argue for just war (or for pacifism) without drawing on Christian presuppositions? Discuss either Erasmus' or Aquinas' arguments about the justice of war and determine whether or not they are good arguments if we do not accept Christian doctrine. Can they be modified in ways that make them independent of Christianity? For a fuller discussion of this essay topic, see here.
Evaluate the usefulness of just war theory. Is just war theory merely an attempt to rationalize ex post all manner of crimes, as Erasmus argues? Or is just war theory necessary for regulating an ineradicable practice? Examine the arguments of Vitoria on the justice of making war on the Indians of the Americas to make your case. For a fuller description of this essay topic, see here.
Do Vitoria’s arguments about the possible titles to rule of the Spanish in America legitimize the Spanish conquest of the Americas or condemn it? Under what conditions would they legitimize/delegitimize it? Would they have justified European settlement of New Zealand? Why or why not? You may present your response in the form of a question (like Vitoria’s), with objections, your response, and replies to the objections. For a fuller description of this essay topic, see here.
Write a question in the style of Thomas Aquinas (with objections, your response, and the replies to the objections) on the topic of whether a particular war (e.g., the Iraq war) or a particular episode in a war (e.g., the firebombing of Dresden) is just. Draw on arguments from Aquinas, Erasmus, and Vitoria. For a fuller description of this essay topic, see here.
For this theme, you have a choice among the following essay topics: